Ferenc Darabos

57985948500

Publications - 6

Post-pandemic pursuits: Activity preferences of rural tourists in Western Transdanubia

Roland Zsolt Szabó Csaba Kőmíves Ferenc Darabos

Publication Name: Hungarian Geographical Bulletin

Publication Date: 2024-10-01

Volume: 73

Issue: 3

Page Range: 283-301

Description:

This study examines the changing preferences of rural tourists in Western Transdanubia, Hungary, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to uncover how rural tourism has changed and identify the new winners of the shifting demand. In 2021, we conducted a comprehensive survey with 925 participants and introduced a novel activity-based segmentation of rural tourists, revealing a strong preference for complex service packages. Practically, our findings highlight that village caterers who have strategically segmented the market have emerged as winners, successfully attracting different age groups and genders with customized packages. Cluster analysis revealed a segment of rural tourists who, without exception, were enthusiastic about diverse activities. In particular, our cross-cluster analysis points to a significant amount of potential demand among middle-aged tourists. These findings help practitioners develop a targeted product mix and marketing strategy to meet the changing demands of rural tourism.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.15201/hungeobull.73.3.5

Tourist Attitudes toward Heritage of a County in Western Hungary

Csaba Kőmíves Ferenc Darabos Viktória Kundi

Publication Name: Sustainability Switzerland

Publication Date: 2024-07-01

Volume: 16

Issue: 13

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Preserving and passing on folk traditions and gastronomic culture to the next generation has always been an important task of elderly people in every single historic period. The main goal of this study is to provide a clear picture of travelers’ attitudes toward gastronomy and cultural values in a western Hungarian county. The presence of the Szigetköz Nature Park and some World Heritage sites (like Fertő-Hanság National Park and Abbey of Pannonhalma) requires responsible tourism planning that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. When conducting quantitative research (survey based on questionnaires), special attention was paid to tourists’ knowledge of gastronomy values and architectural, cultural, and natural attractions. Four hypotheses were formulated in this study. The data collection took place between 1 September 2023 and 30, October 2023 (N = 666). The sample is not representative since the respondents were randomly selected. As opposed to previous studies, the most important novelty of this research is that tourists’ visits to different destinations were assessed while previous studies mainly focused on the interests of tourists.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.3390/su16135739

Online content analysis between bike related attributes and review content in case of Budapest

Marcell Kupi Ferenc Darabos Agnes Horvath

Publication Name: Journal of Infrastructure Policy and Development

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: 8

Issue: 9

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Active tourism, in our case bicycle tourism has been a proof of health benefits as well as responsible, sustainable way of transport. As tourist move around to see sights as well as gather experiences, this is a way to be efficient and green effective. This study aims to investigate bicycle tourism in cities, especially focusing on decision making as a bicycle tourist, when it comes to online bookings system, focusing on choosing a hotel. Method: we have used the several methods to analyze the reviews and ratings of hotels on Booking and TripAdvisor. We used hotels from Budapest only, focusing on bicycle tourism within the city. We investigated if there was any demand for bike related services when it comes to booking online. Our results show that there is significant relationship between choosing a hotel and the relevance of bike related services of the accommodation; however, it might not be the primarily decision making, and also following our hypothesis, online travel agents do not offer full package for bikers.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.24294/jipd.v8i9.5078

The Role of Clusters: Past, Present and Future of the Pannon Thermal Cluster

Veronika Keller Erzsébet Printz-Markó Elisabeta Ilona Molnar Ferenc Darabos

Publication Name: Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: Unknown

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 415-432

Description:

The study examines the spectrum of the thermal and wellness clusters related to water-based health tourism in Hungary. The research is looking for an answer regarding the effects of the organization in clusters from the point of view economic, social and cultural in the thermal baths sector. In this sense, literary research and processing were carried out, and mixed-type professional interviews were conducted. Bearing in mind the unexplored dimensions of thermal clusters in Hungary, the research highlights three areas of action: proactivity, economic incorporation and innovation. The results of these three key defined potentials and the discovery of innovation reserves are the ones that will be addressed primarily in the future. These steps boost health tourism and associated activities. The clusters operating in the field, primarily Pannon Thermal Cluster—PANTERM, have hidden reserves and untapped potentials within the operational frames of the cluster organization. The discovery of the potential in the clusters may drive innovation.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-59858-6_28

EXAMINING THE DEMAND RELATIONSHIPS OF BETWEEN RELIGIOUS TOURISM AND EXAMPLE OF URBAN ATTRACTIONS IN THE GYŐR-PANNONHALMA TOURIST AREA

Anne Marie Lebrun Kevser Çinar Csaba Kőmíves Ferenc Darabos

Publication Name: Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites

Publication Date: 2024-01-01

Volume: 57

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: 2114-2122

Description:

This study examines the sacred places of Győr-Moson-Sopron County (Western Hungary), focusing on people's attitudes towards them. Pannonhalma is part of the world heritage, the Győr Cathedral, and the five church festivals (Roman Catholic, Jewish, Reformed, Lutheran, Greek Oriental) held in the city are important places of worship. The aim of the study was to analyse the scope of religious tourism in the World Heritage Site and to examine the demographics of the demand for urban religious centres. Primary research was conducted with a quantitative (questionnaire) survey between 10th September 2023 and 30th October 2023. The sample of 666 persons is not representative, respondents were chosen with arbitrary sampling. Data were processed using the SPSS 23 statistical program package which contains cross-table analysis, in addition to the descriptive statistical analyses. The most important finding of the study is that travel propensity is determined by the importance and familiarity of urban landmarks, and significance can be found here. Respondents' age, educational attainment and gender also show significant differences in terms of the attractiveness of visiting attractions (distance from their residence). The research investigated the demand for Roman Catholic, Jewish, Reformed, Evangelical and Greek Orthodox religious attractions in Győr and the Pannonhalma Benedictine Abbey, a World Heritage Site, according to local specificity. There is significant evidence of a regional pull effect of the World Heritage status of the built heritage site. The city churches and their associated events are most popular with the elderly, women and those with higher education.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.30892/gtg.574spl25-1378

EXAMINATION OF HOLIDAY HABITS IN HUNGARY, WITH SPECIAL REGARD TO RURAL TOURISM

Elisabeta Ilona Molnar Csaba Kőmíves Ferenc Darabos

Publication Name: Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites

Publication Date: 2022-01-01

Volume: 44

Issue: 4

Page Range: 1403-1410

Description:

The paper aims to examine the demand for rural tourism, targeting the design of offers following the period of the pandemic. The topic of the present study, is the examination of the holiday habits of the Hungarian population focusing on rural tourism. Following the theoretical background regarding rural tourism, rural tourism destination and tourism motivation, the primary research investigates the holiday habits of various age groups and the differences between these, the frequency of traveling and planned overstays, and the optional programs as recreational and gastronomic activities, their willingness to spend for the offers that form an integral part of the rural tourism. The survey method was chosen and the respondents were assigned via a random sample. The collected data was processed via IBM SPSS 25 program, in which unary and binary operations, correlation analysis was done. The study highlights that there is a high demand for rural tourism in the countryside in the post-pandemic period, is a general need for recreation irrespective of age, educational background, or residence. The respondents would participate in a genuine rural program irrespective of age, educational background, or residence. It was also proven that there is a significant difference between the travelling frequency of the various groups, according to which, the middle-aged respondents travel most frequently to the countryside, followed by the seniors and the youth.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.30892/gtg.44427-959